Fruit sizer and grader.



G. 1). PARKER. FRUIT SIZER AND GRADER. APPLIUATION FILED JULY 8, 1908.

Patented May 1'7, 1910.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

G; D. PARKER. FRUIT SIZER AND GRADER. APPLICATION FILED JULY 8,1908.

Batented May 17, 1919.

2 sums-SHEET 2.

- ing may be eiiectua GEGBGE D. PARKER, 01? EIVEESIDE, 'GALEFOBINIA.

' nnurr SIZER AND en'ennn.

Specification of Letters letcnt. Eafianted May 1?, 1%189,

Application filed July 5, 190a eerie-1 Kc. Mason.

To all whom it my concern: 7

Be it known that I, Gnonon DQPARKER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Riverside, in the county of Riverside and State of California, have invented new and useful Improvements in Fruit Sizers and Graders, of whicl the following is a specification.

This invention relates to fruit sizers and graders and it has for its object to provide improved apparatus or mechanism of this character, whereby oranges and other fruit, which require sortin or 'sizing before pack- 1y selected 'accordmgly to size and distributed to receiving bins or points of deposit for respective sizes; which apparatus or mechanism shall be relatively simple and inexpensive in construction, pos1- tive in operation and generally superior in point of efliciene and serviceability.

, A particular 0 ject of the invention consists in the provision of improved apparatus or mechanism of the character described, whereby fruit may be handled for the purposes specified, subject to a minimum of rolling or tumbling action with the attend ant bruising and. softening of the fruit, and whereby the out any violent agitation of the character described with similar attendant injury. In

all apparatuses of this character it is necessary to roll or tumble the fruit to a certain degree in the distribution of the same according to size; but according to the present invention the fruit is led through the sev-, eral stages of distribution without violent agitation, and a maximum of protection against injury is thus afforded.

The invention consists in the novel pro vision, construction, combination, association and relative-arrangement of parts, members and features, as hereinafter set forth,

disclosed in the accompanying drawings and finally set forth in claims;

In the drawings :'-Figure 1 is a top plan View, partly broken awayfor convenience ofillustration, of a fruit sizer or grader embodying the invention; and, Fig. 2 is a' vertical transverse sectional view .of the same, taken upon the line 22, Fig. 1, and looking in the direction of the appended arrows; the same being partly broken away, centrally horizontall and in other parts, for convenience of i1 ustreticzr 'orrespondin Sports in both the figures are denoted by t e reference characters.-

nieans C,

by bins fruit may be so handled with,

to the conveyors means C. 1n the preferred form of rela- Referring with particularity to the drawings, the improved sizer or grader coin rises means A for feeding the fruit, initie. dismeans B, and final distributing whereby the fruit is, after sorting, with respect to size, passed to and received D, or whereby the fruit, properly sorted, is distributed to suitable points of deposit. The initial distributing means comprises primarily a suitable conveyer or convcyers E; and the final distributing means C com rises a plurality of suitable conveyers'f', t ere being one of such conveyers F for the finaldistribution of each size of the fruit; and the conveyers F being rarfied adjacent to the conveyer or convey ers J iii-positions to receive the fruit from the latter,

G designates operating means for the dis-- tributing means 13 and the conveyers E associated therewith, and for the distributing means C and the conveyers F associated therewith. The initial distributing means B comprises with the conveyers E a plurality of spaced rotary elements, H and K, respectively, and the same ing means L operatively connected with actuating means G, as hereinafter set forth.

M designates actuating means for the conveyers F of the final distributing means G. The fruit is conducted from the feed means A. to the conveyor or conveyors E, and the action of the rotary elements H and K, in combination with the action 0% the convcyer or conveyers E, performs the initial distri bnt ing operation, whereby the fruit is conducted F to thevfinal distributing tributing tive arrangement of parts and features the conveyer or conveyers E operate in paths tending appositely, divergently and rectangularly with respect to the paths oi? operation of the conveyers F. ?referabl as shown, a lurality of the conveyors Ears employed, aving their carrying surfaces in a common plane and said plane is preferably slightly inclined, both toward the plane of the carrying Sui-faces of the conveyers l and laterally of such letter plane, such inclinations, resulting jpintly in total inclina tion in the (llYGCfilOII indicated by the arrest are operated. by actuat- Bee marked X, in Fig. 1. The carrying sun 1 faces of the conveyers F likewise extend in r a common plane which is horizontal,

The rotary elements H and K extend -pa1all8i13m and euhstantiaily is same horizontal plane, as well as athwart the conveyers E and angularly with respect thereto.

.The rotary elements H and K are provided each with a plurality of operative portions, h and 70, respectively, which are related to the various sizes of the fruit in a predetermined manner; there being a greater number of such operative portions of the rotary chutes N, which extend across portions,

element K than of the rotary element H; and the operative-portions 7c of therotary element K being related to and in operative association'with the respective'conveyers F of the final distributing means 0. The fruit of the conveyers E and that embrace, re-

spectively, the conveyors 13. Gates 'O are provided for the several chutes N, and therey the direction of the fruit from the chutes to the bins D is determined. v

A particular preferred form of provision, construction, combination, association and relative arrangement of parts, members and features of an improved sizer or grader embodying the invention, and including the elements and features above set forth, is as follows :A frame F is provided, comprising uprights or standards 3, and transverse members 4:; and connected therewith, at opposite sides,in suitable journals, are con'-.

veyer shafts, 5 and 6, respectively, carrying drums, 7 and 8, respectively, about which endless belts 9, constituting the conveyers E are passed, said belts being arranged in a lateral series. Carried by said frame, at right angles to the line of shafts 5 and 6, and at one end of the apparatus, is a shaft 10, carrying a drum 11 about which are passed endless belts 12, arranged in a'lateral series, and constituting the conveyers F.

These belts 12 are also passed about one or more supplemental drums 13, at the other end of the apparatus, said drums being suitably supported for rotation, in any preferred manner; The actuating means G comprises a suitable belt-drive 14 for the shaft 10, and the shafts 10 and 6 are operatively connected by meshing beveled gears 15 and 16. The rotary elements H and K comprise rollers, 17 and 18, respectively, formed with a plurality of different diameters, constitutmg respectively, the operative portions 71, and k; the diameters of said operative portions being stepped down or decreased correspondingly from adj acen't ends of said rollers, and in a general direction awayfrom the feed meansA. lSaid rollers are suitably supported by the frame P, at op osite sides of the same, as by ournal bra ets 19 and 20, respectively, for the roller 17 and journal brackets 21 and 22 for the roller 18; and said rollers are extended in corresponding angular relation to the by displacement of the that in theinitial sorting operation is prevented, v j The actuating means L for the rotary elements or rollers i1? and 18. comprise. a suitable drive, such as the nope-drive 24 illus i trlted, which oporatively connects one and of the shaft 5 with the adjacent ends of the said rollers. The chutes N are formed b spaced partitions 25 which alternate wit t ebelts 1 2 in their upper portions; it being 'understood that both the belts 9 an'd'belts 12 are arranged to travel in a lower path and'an upper ath, each operating in a vertical plane. ported above the bins. D and extend in parallelism to the belts 9. The superficial areas "of the operative portions 70 of the roller 18 are greater in extent, longitudinally of said roller, than the transverse dimensions of the chutes N, there being one of such 0 erative portions is associated with each 0 such chutes; and to confine the carrying surface portions of the conveyers E of the belts 9, which the fruit must traverse from "the respective o erative portions k to the respective chutes ,"supplemental chutes R are provided, being formed by spaced partitions 26 extended from the end portions of aid partitions 25 are supthe partitions 25 to a' frame member 27, t

which extends transversely of the frame P parallel-with the roller 18 and but slightly spaced from-the same; said frame member 27 being arranged between'the said roller 18 and the adjacent ends of the partitions 25. The partitions 26 are connected with frame member 27 by depending brackets 28.

From the above construction and arrangement of parts it results that the chutes R are each of varying width, tapering or converging from the frame member 27 toward the chutes N. The gates O constitute, when in closed or normal position portions 29 of the partitions 25; Sue portions being hinged to the major portions of the partitions 25,

as at 30, and being arranged to be swung laterally across the adjacent belts 12 and the carrying surfaces thereof. Said gates or partition portions 29 are of such dimensions that each of the same comes in engagement with the next adjacent partition 25 at a suitable inclination with respect to the path of travel of the fruit through the respective chute, to the end that fruit being scalesthe respective belt 12 into onith such gate shall be deflected 'into a bin D directly beneath. are arranged in series extendacross the carrying surfaces of to the end, that a plurality of ry be opened todexiect the fruit e chute N :d moons A may utilize in its orn one or more of the belts 9, ns

brought by the others; the same bein extended the others at one side the frame sed about a shaft 31 supported by to bracket 32 connected with the and u suitable hopper, chute or 33, carried by the frame P and by a member 34, may be associated with ended belt to complete the feed means The bins'l of any suitable form, are nged beneath the conveyers F, and are itable number in accordance with the extent of the apparatus and the of siaing or sorting operations or sions which the] apparatus is into perform.

e operation, method of use, and advanwill be readily understood from the description, taken in connection e secompanying drawings and the lie 1Y1 ugststcn ent .ibe conveyors E," rotary elements H and end conveyors F all operate in the direcdenoted by the respective arrows. delivered to the conveyers E, by the means A, is first brought into contact b the larger operative portion h of the nry element K, and any of such fruit, of smaller sizes, es can pass under the r operative portions h, to the space hen the rotary elements H and K. The operative portions of the"elements d iii are spaced but slightly above the so that only the smallest sizes of en'puss beneath the some. The larger all fruit admitted to the conveyers E "h along the rotary elements H, clue to its on and the feed of the conveyersand successively passed beneath the element accordance with their respective sizes, s rough sorting of the fruit prior to introduction to the space between the elements H and K. Within said once the fruit continues to work along and brought successively into engagement 1 the operative portions 70 of successive W ng diameters; and the various sizes successively pass under said operportions 1%, the smaller sizes first passrider and being followed by the lar er es allowed by the increasingly big or between the coin-*eyers it and the re e operative portions in, The fruit of enters one tbe'chutes it, namely, toes wince is associated with the respective to any one bin D."

yd, said belt being extended farther plurality of conveyers' arranged a operative portions is under which it p'ssses, and works along the same between the pan titions 26, tothe respective chute N between the partitions of which it is carried by" the, respective conveyor belt 12 unti its course is interrupted by one or" the gates O which shunts or deflects it directly into one of the bins D, or first through one or more of the latter chutes N, and passes two or more of the gates into the predetermined bin. If preferred, the fruit may traverse the-chutes N to the ends of the conveyors F, and said conveyers being of differentlengths, the fruitmay be deposited in bins disposed at and beneath such extreme ends of the conveyors. This arrangement is not shown in the drawings, but is a manifest variation of the disclosure therein.

It is manifest that in the initial distribution of the fruit, as well as in the final dis tribution' by the means D and C, the former including the rotary elements H and K and the latter including the gates 0, no violent agitation or actuation or tumbling of the fruit is caused; and the fruit, thi'ough even and gradual stages is eilectually sorted. into the several sizes of the same, as predetermined by the dimensions of the operative portions hand ic;-and is finally deflected, without injury,;to the bins.

The apparatus is positive in operation ,and the Working parts thereof are adapted for long continuous operation without do terioration in'workin efliciency.

Having thus described my invention, 1 claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent 1. An improved sizer or grader, comprising initial distributing moans andffinal distributing means; said initial distributing means including a plurality of spaced rotary elements each havlng a plurality of operative portions respectively related to the various sizes of the fruit to be sorted; the

numbers of operative portions of ,the retaryelements being unequal,

2-. An improved sizer or grader, compris ing initial distributing means, tributing means; said initial distributing means including a conveyer, a roller extending above the carrying surface of the conveyer and provided with a plurality ofoper- 'ative. portions respectively related to the various sizes of the fruit to be sorted; and said final distributing means com rising at jaoent to said conveyor of said initial distributing means in positions to receive fruit from the latter, and a. plurality of chutes res ectively embracing said conveyors of said nel distributing means, and extending into jun and final dis-,

taposition respectively with relstion to said Loperative portions of said roller.

3, In an 'un' rovedsizer or grader, a eonveyer, and a p urality'ofspeced rotery eke ments extending above the carrying surface- I of said conveyor and each having a plurality *of operative portions of difierent diameters respectively related to the varioussizes of the fruit to be sorted; the numbers of operative port-ions of the'rotary elements being Y unequal.

4, In an improved sizer or grader, a con veyer, and two spaced rollers extending above the carrying surfaces of the "conveyor and each at an angle with the path of move ment of said conveyor; each of said rollers comprising a plurality of operative portions" of different dlameters respectively related to the sizes of the fruit to be sorted.

5. In an improved sizer or grader, a con- 7 veycr, a roller extending above the carrying surface of the convey'er'and provided with a plurality of operative portlons of varying diameters, means forrotatingthe roller, a

plurality of conveyers arranged adjacent to said first-named conveyer in positions to re ceive fruit from the latter, andchutes embracing the last named conveyors and extending respectively into juxtaposition with .relation to said operative portions of said roller. I 4

' 6. In an improved sizer or grader, a c onr veyer, a roller extending above'the carrying surface of the conveyer and provided with a plurality of operative portions of difl'erent "diameters, means for rotating the roller, a plurality of conveyersarranged adjacent to said first-named conveyor in positions to receive fruit from the'latter, chutes embracing 4 of the other set thereof an extending respectively into juxtaposition with relation to said portions of said rollers. p p 8. An improved sizer or ader, comprising two sets of conveyors, t e conveyors of one set being arranged adjacent to the con veyers of the other set, in positions to receive;

fruit from the latter, a roller extending angularly above the conveyors of one set thereof and having portions of different diameters, chutes embracing the conveyors of the other set thereof and extending respectivgly into juxtaposition with relation to em joint y operating said conveyors and said oller.

name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

, GEORGE D. PARKER.

lVitnesses:

RAYMOND Ivns Bmxnsnnn, Tnmm 'Anam.

In testimony whereof, I have signedmy ameters, and chutes embracin the conveyors ortions of said roller, and means; for 

